Low Vision Videos

I have posted several YouTube videos that may be interesting to anyone dealing with low vision.    Here is a partial list of links:

Low Vision Glasses for Reading
https://youtu.be/ehpIuBWi1uI 
Bioptic Telescopic Glasses
https://youtu.be/0N9TSR7e38Y
Driving with Bioptic Glasses
https://youtu.be/Uk5k_DaXCeQ
"I've been fighting for my eyesight all of my life."
https://youtu.be/pZVJC-KdRiA
Free Telephone Consultation with Dr. Armstrong
https://youtu.be/KJkro7ZloQo

There is more info on my website www.VirginiaLowVision.com

Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Today's issue of AOA First Look includes the following synopsis of a US News & World Report article about protecting your eyes from some of the main causes of low vision.  Click the link to read this helpful information.  For people who have lost vision from eye disease or some other cause a low vision optometrist may be able to help.
I speak with all low vision patients before scheduling an appointment.  By asking a few questions about your remaining vision and your goals I will be able to tell you if low vision glasses will help you.  There is no charge for the telephone consultation or the toll free call.  Call me at 1 866 321-2030.  More information on my website www.VirginiaLowVision.com

National Eye Institute Offers Advice To Keep Eyes Healthy.

US News & World Report  (3/20, Woodham) says a recent report from The Vision Council notes that 1 in 28 Americans over the age of 40 are suffering from “low vision, a visual impairment that cannot be repaired by glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery.” But Dr. Rachel Bishop, chief of the consult services section at the National Eye Institute, says there are steps that can be taken to reduce eye problems such as cataracts: “The first is not smoking. The second is protecting their eyes from sunlight by wearing sunglasses. UV light exposure is associated with cataract but also with other problems in the eye, so we recommend people wear UV-protection sunglasses when out in the bright daylight.”

Free Telephone Consultation with Dr. Armstrong, the video

I have just added a video to my website that describes the free telephone consultation that I offer low vision patients.  The consultation helps me get an idea of the person's remaining vision and their goals.  That information allows me to tell the patient if I will be able to help them.  I only schedule people who I am quite certain that I can help.  I invite you to click the link below and watch the video.  Then give me a call.  1 866 321-2030  I will be happy to discuss your vision challenges with you.  I would love to help you see better.  http://virginialowvision.com/videos.html#consult 

Reading with Low Vision Glasses

Before I accept someone as a low vision patient I always speak with them by phone. I question them about their remaining vision and their goals and I'm able to tell them if I will be able to help them with low vision glasses. I do not schedule anyone for a low vision evaluation unless I think that I will be able to help them. When I ask about their goals, what activities they would like help with, the two most common replies are reading and driving. Those are very important to most people. If your vision loss has taken away your ability to read and to drive you have lost your independance. Reading and driving are both learned skills that can be lost by lack of use. I have seen patients who have not read for a year or two who have lost the ability. When I improve their vision with microscopic glasses which allow them to read very small letters or numbers they struggle reading words or sentences. They can see the words but are unable to say them. I know that it will take lots of practice reading with the low vision glasses before they become fluent again. I encourage you, if your vision is beginning to cause trouble with reading, to call for a telephone consultation. Don't wait until your vision is so poor that reading is impossible. It is much better to seek help from a low vision optometrist while you are still able to read. You will adapt easier and benefit more the sooner you get help from low vision glasses. If you are having trouble reading, driving or with other visual tasks and have been diagnosed with macular degeneration, Stargardt's, diabetic retinopathy or some other damaging eye condition give me a call. I will be happy to speak with you. We will discuss your current level of vision, your goals and I will tell you if low vision glasses will help you. Call me toll free at 1 (866) 321-2030 for a free telephone consultation. Don't wait until you have stopped reading and are beginning to lose your reading skills #lowvision

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Low Vision Office Locations

In order to serve my low vision patients better I have offices in 4Virginia cities, Roanoke,  Charottesville, Harrisonburg  and Wytheville.  One of these offices is within a 2 hour drive of most of Virginia as well as parts of West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia.  I will be happy to speak with you by phone and, if I feel that I can help you, schedule a low vision evaluation in one of these offices.  All free telephone consultations and appointments are arranged by calling me Toll Free at 866 321-2030

E Scoop Glasses for Driving

E Scoop eyeglasses are one of the newest devices for patients with low vision.  They were developed in The Netherlands, for macular degeneration patients.  They have been available in the US for just over a year.  The glasses make things viewed slightly larger, improve contrast and allow the wearer to use an area of the retina which is healthier than their diseased macula.  The result is improved vision without telescopic glasses.

A West Virginia lady came to me hoping to get her drivers permit back.  Her better eye, the left, corrected to 20/120 with glasses and there was no usable vision in the right.  That is not good enough to drive in West Virginia or any other state.

Today she picked up the E Scoop glasses and was able to read 20/50 with the left eye.  That meets the state's requirements and I certified her to drive daylight hours wearing the glasses.  If she did not have the E Scoops she would have lost her license or been required to drive with bioptic telescopic glasses.  The E Scoops provide more natural vision, are less expensive and do not require a special license like bioptics.

The E Scoop glasses may be the perfect option for someone whose vision is not severely damaged.  Someone who comes close to passing the vision requirement to drive but can't quite make it.  If you are in that situation give me a call.  I will discuss your vision loss with you and tell you if I can help.  Low vision glasses, including the E Scoops, may be the answer to getting you safely back on the road.

Call me at 866 321-2030 for  free telephone consultation.  I look forward to talking with you and to helping you.